With the series premiere only days away, executive producer Grant Curtis explains why Moon Knight is joining the MCU now. Set to premiere this Wednesday, Moon Knight will be the latest live-action MCU series on Disney+. The series was created by showrunner Jeremy Slater, and Mohamed Diab leads Moon Knight's directing team. The series stars Oscar Isaac, May Calamawy, and Ethan Hawke.

Moon Knight was inspired by the comic series of the same name. The story follows Marc Spector (Isaac), a man with disassociative identity disorder, who becomes Moon Knight, an anti-hero mercenary with a connection to the Egyptian god Khonshu. Although Spector/Moon Knight first appeared in Werewolf By Night while working for the evil Committee, the character was interesting enough that he was retconned into a more heroic role. Moon Knight was supposed to appear in the canceled live-action Blade: The Series, but it was not until 2019 that Marvel Studios announced that Moon Knight was in development for Disney+.

Related: Why Moon Knight Should Never Join The Avengers

Now, one of the series' executive producers explains why it is the perfect time for Moon Knight to join the MCU. Grant Curtis spoke in a recent Moon Knight press conference about how the character's history in Marvel Comics led up to his entrance into the MCU. According to Curtis, joining the MCU is a natural progression for Marc Spector because his story is so rich that it needed Disney+'s "broader canvas" to tell it. Read Curtis's full explanation of the timing below:

"Well, I think Moon Knight, in particular, has been on Kevin Feige's radar from day one. I mean, you look at his history, first appeared in "Werewolf by Night" in 1975. Then, he kind of bounced around in the Marvel Universe for the next five years, and he got his own offering in 1980. And when you look at years and decades of storytelling, as the great storytellers and artists on the "Moon Knight" pages have been doing, I think this was a natural progression, a merger into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And I think it was just like this was the perfect time. When you look at Disney+ and needing a broader canvas to tell this incredible story, March 30th, the audience will see it, and this was the perfect time to drop into the universe."

A terrified Steven Grant looking up at the approaching Khonshu in Moon Knight

Certainly, Moon Knight is not the only new character joining the MCU during its Phase Four, but he is arguably one of the most interesting. He is a darker superhero, and his disassociative identity disorder is a more serious topic than the MCU typically explores. Not only will Moon Knight bring a shift to the MCU's tone because of the character's brutal violence, but it will also focus more on Marc Spector as a character study. Because movies and television have often misrepresented characters with DID before, Moon Knight's creators have taken steps to present it responsibly. Such changes in the tone and creative process seem to echo the unprecedented WandaVision.

It is too soon to guess at Moon Knight's larger connection to other MCU properties, although Oscar Isaac's comments about an emotional arc hint at a contained story within the limited series. That being said, there's no telling where the character might appear in the future. Considering Curtis' final words on the timing, the series may have lasting repercussions on the MCU, but fans will have to watch Moon Knight when it premieres Wednesday to find out.

Next: Moon Knight Proves The MCU Needs Ghost Rider

Source: Grant Curtis

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